Our Take post IFF’s GOGIRLS! Floorball Project

“There are 1.1 billion girls in the world, and every one of them deserves equal opportunities for a better future. They are a source of energy, power and creativity. They can drive change and help build a better future for all. Yet, most girls face disadvantage and discrimination on a daily basis, and those living through crises are suffering even more.” – UN’s #DayoftheGirl every 11 October

In October as well, the International Floorball Federation also touched on how to get more girls to play floorball.

From their website, “The IFF aims to provide guidance on the different challenges faced by girls in obtaining access to participation in sport, and to help break down those barriers within the international Floorball family.”

Singapore floorball is the best in Southeast Asia. Surely one cannot point to discrimination in and out of the floorball court here!

However, sometimes, the discrimination lies in the little things.

For instance, are we allowed the same level of physicality as men when we play? Or is one push too many?

Do our girls have the choice to wear skirts instead of shorts for floorball? Or is that discrimination?

Will there one day be goalie equipment suitable for women?

A long way to go.

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1v1 time!

We asked the youngest player to have joined KBFF years ago, Yun Xuan, what makes her feel proud to be a woman and what challenges she faced because of it.

In her words:

I am proud to be a woman because i get to change other people’s perspectives on what it means to be a woman.

Growing up with a mother that had a traditional mindset, it was not easy being the only daughter. When i was younger, my mother used to make me wear preppy dresses along with outrageous hair styles whenever we went out (I was basically a human doll for her). I hated the clothes she bought so much that i hid them away and refused to tell my mother where they all were. Needless to say my mother and I had countless arguments over our differences in fashion styles.

My two older brothers were my role models; I wanted to be just like them. We would challenge each other to wrestling fights, sprints and many other activities that was deemed too “violent” for a girl, according to my mother.

Even though I did not fit into the cookie cutter version of what my mother had initially envisioned, she has learned to be more accepting of me over the years. Nowadays, she does not mind me playing floorball all the time, going for trainings etc (of which she used to nag at me all the time for).

Thus, i am proud to be a woman who does not conform to gender stereotypes, because I get to break these stereotypes and change the people around me, instead of changing myself to suit the needs of other people.